Pence, Sandoval go deep again, but SF Giants lose

Pablo Sandoval and Hunter Pence have begun an “anything you can do, I can do better” contest.

For the second time in the Giants’ first five games, Sandoval and Pence each homered. They have the only four for the team.

Saturday’s homers were not enough to lift the Giants to a win, though, as the Cardinals roughed up Ryan Vogelsong in a 6-3 victory.

Vogelsong allowed five earned runs for only the sixth time in 60 starts since he returned to the Giants in 2011. Carlos Beltran did the most damage with a two-run single in a three-run fifth.

Vogelsong allowed the first earned run by a Giants starter in the first inning, to end a 26-inning streak, and an odd run at that.

Matt Carpenter squibbed a single up the first-base line and took second on what was ruled a passed ball. Matt Holliday argued he foul-tipped the ball off Buster Posey’s glove, but Angel Hernandez ruled it strike three.

After a wild pitch and a walk, Beltran floated a single to right for the RBI.

Pence homered off rookie starter Shelby Miller in the second inning. Sandoval added a two-strike, two-out RBI single in the third and a solo homer in the eighth, off Fernando Salas.

Only five times did the Giants hit two more homers in the same game at AT&T Park in 2012. Their 31 homers at home were the fewest in the majors by 16.

Down 5-2, the Giants ran into bad luck in the sixth when Miller walked Pence and Brandon Belt with one out. Lefty Randy Choate relieved Miller. Bruce Bochy countered with Joaquin Arias, who swung at the first pitch and hit a low liner that first baseman Allen Craig caught while diving. Had the ball gotten by, two runs might have scored. Instead, Craig rose and stepped on the bag for an easy double play.